Wakesurfing is a sport in which an individual rides the wake of a boat without being directly pulled by the boat. Most boats do not naturally produce a wake that is suitable (e.g., large enough and/or with a smooth enough face) for surfing. Therefore, a number of different devices and techniques have been created to modify the wake that is produced by a boat. For example, ballast (or weight) may be added to one side of the boat to cause it to ride lower in the water. Although reasonably effective, weighting the boat in this manner is dangerous since the boat will be much more likely to take on water or even capsize. It can also be difficult to drive a boat while it is listed to one side. Additionally, when using ballast, switching which side the surfer will ride on can be a very tedious process since the ballast will need to be emptied from the one side and then filled on the other.
To address the downsides of using ballast to produce a suitable wake, some wake enhancing devices have been created. These wake enhancers are typically in the form of a device that attaches to one side of the boat towards the stern. Although the exact mechanism by which such devices enhance the wake is beyond the scope of this specification, suffice it to say that such devices alter the flow of water around one side of the boat thereby enhancing the wake on the opposite side of the boat.
There are a number of downsides to the various wake enhancing devices currently available. For example, it can be difficult to secure these devices to the boat—especially in a manner that may not require permanent alteration/damage to the boat.